Iran dismisses UAE FM's allegations on interfering with Yemen

Iran's foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected as "baseless" the charges made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) foreign minister about Iran's interference in Yemen, Tasnim news agency reported.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said that UAE itself is a pillar of war crimes against people of Yemen, and it is now putting blame on others.

UAE foreign minister, Anwar Mohamad Gargash, on Tuesday accused Iran of "directly arming and supporting the insurgents (in Yemen) with increasingly sophisticated weapons, including ballistic missiles and armed drones" in an address to the 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council.

"This Iranian interference prolongs and deepens the Yemeni conflict, creating conditions that allow al-Qaida in Arabian Peninsula, and more recently the Islamic State, more space to operate," said Gargash.

Responding to the UAE foreign minister's remarks, Qasemi said that it is a pity that the UAE government, which has been directly involved in destruction of Yemen's infrastructures, "war crimes" against Yemenis, and blockade of the impoverished country for about two years, is accusing others of interference.

He added that the responsibility for atrocities in Yemen and the rise of terrorism there lie directly with the UAE and other members of the Saudi-led coalition.

Iran has repeatedly denied arming Yemeni militants and interference in Yemen's conflicts.

The situation in Yemen deteriorated economically and politically as of March 2015, when a war broke out between the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi group, allies of former President Ali Abdullash Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition. Endit